Residents in a Welwyn street say they have had just three weekly food bin collections in nine weeks of a new service launching.

She said that many of the neighbours have tried the phone line to report missed collections, but find it hard to get through.

North Herts District Council, which covers that part of Welwyn, entered a new contract with waste management company Urbaser Ltd on May 8, and initially missed out Danesbury Park Road due to a data issue.

The resident said: “In the very beginning we weren’t very happy that it was being missed out but we understood - in the end, it was a new system.”

But now she and her neighbours are getting frustrated.

“We’ve got maggots, it’s not nice,” she said.

However, the council is still trying to get to the bottom of subsequent issues with the collection, which is being carried out with waste management company Urbaser Ltd.

Cllr Lynda Needham, council leader, said: “We are aware of an increase in reports of missed bins and food waste caddies in the last few days.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and we are working with Urbaser to identify and resolve the issues as soon as possible.

“Additional crews are out in the district collecting missed bins to try and catch up.

“We would encourage residents to report missed bins directly to Urbaser on 0800 328 6023 or by emailing northhertsenquiries@urbaser.co.uk.”